HAPPY NEW YEAR!

We have taken a little Festive break here at Jon Keith Diamonds- normal service with resume from 4th January 2011 - but we simply HAD to come online to wish all of our wonderful clients, readers and supporters a

VERY VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR

and all the best for 2011

May it be filled with Success, Health and Happiness for you all.

MAKE IT SPARKLE!

TeamJKD.
XX

Wedding Supplier Wednesday - Your Wedding at Loch Lomond

HAPPY WEDDING SUPPLIER WEDNESDAY!

sorry for the lack of blogs this week - its a bit crazy in JKD land finishing all our Christmas orders! Normal blogging service should resume ASAP!

in the meantime, we wanted to share another brilliant Wedding Supplier with you, and they dont come much nicer than Kirsteen & Colin from Your Wedding at Lock Lomand.
Your Wedding at Loch Lomond is an on-line wedding directory for brides and grooms to be getting married at Loch Lomond in Scotland. We are free to use and free to advertise in (providing the supplier can provide to Loch Lomond).

The idea for our directory was born several years ago and we registered several domains then. We spent time meeting with local suppliers to find out what they wanted from a directory. We found that many new and small businesses in particular struggled to find customers due to very high advertising rates in magazines, newspapers and other websites. We came to the decision that our on-line directory would be free to advertise in, and that each interested advertiser would be offered the same advert. Photographer provided by www.ciaphotography.co.uk

Our not for profit directory went live in June 2010 with just a few suppliers. Now, at the end of the year, we have grown to offer a wide variety of suppliers as well as regular discounts, a discussion forum and wedding fairs.

We also have a blog where we offer additional advice and support as well as interviews and submissions with a variety of wedding suppliers. We also keep our suppliers and brides to be updated through regular email newsletters, our Facebook page and Twitter account.

Our aim of making the directory 'everyone's directory' has been achieved. Its demonstrated by the fact that many advertising requests come from wedding suppliers who have been speaking to our listed suppliers. We do appreciate our suppliers spreading the word and helping with recruiting other suppliers! Many suppliers have become friends with each other, recommending each other, purchasing from each other etc. We love it! Photographer provided by www.ciaphotography.co.uk

We have made so many friends from our suppliers and received support from many experienced and respected wedding professionals and from other wedding directories

Highlights of this year have included being nominated for six awards, such as 'best business support' and 'best supplier directory'. We've been mentioned in local and national newspapers and bridal magazines. We are also currently on the list of “Top 100 Wedding Tweeters”.

Next year we shall be running a few wedding fairs to allow our brides and grooms to be to meet our suppliers face to face. We also have a first edition brochure with our suppliers' details which is available at our fairs and on our supplier premises.

We can be found at:
web: www.yourweddingatlochlomond.co.uk
blog: www.yourweddingatlochlomond.wordpress.com
facebook:http://tinyurl.com/3yslvlq
twitter: www.twitter.com/wedatlochlomond
email: info@yourweddingatlochlomond.co.uk

Thank you SO MUCH for allowing us to feature your company, and best of luck in 2011!

If we can help you with any bespoke jewellery please email jon@jonkeithdiamonds.co.uk or call 07904123297. If you wish to appear on our Wedding Supplier Wednesday blog please email lisa@jonkeithdiamonds.co.uk

Have a nice week!

JKD

Wedding Supplier Wednesday - Unique Wedding Planning!

HAPPY WEDDING WEDNESDAY!

So - it would appear the snow has gone (for most!) and its back to business....and today we have a lovely Wedding Supplier for you.Joy Hersey-Todd, of Unique Wedding Planning, is 46 years old and has had a successful 20 year career in Client/Event Management. Lets hear what Joy had to say:

I am passionate about service and I have won many awards for excellence. I love to work with people & work closely with the couple to understand their needs and only builds proposals that truly reflect them. I have a reputation for being a great listener, always available and happy to talk through any detail at any time. Whether dealing with a venue/supplier or a difficult situation, I am aware that I am representing you and you can rely on my professionalism at all times

I'm a Wedding planner & the founder of Unique Wedding Planning. I've been able to complement my skills above with study at the UK Alliance of Wedding Planners, where I am also an Associate Member. In an unregulated industry, I think it's important to work in an ethical way & being a part of the UKAWP gives a couple a guarantee that I subscribe & work to a code of ethics. I am known for having a great eye for detail & being creative, but also, due to my operational background I am methodical in my approach. This has enabled me to be able to co-ordinate events of any shape and size and execute them flawlessly.

You can find me on www.uniqueweddingplanning.co.uk or through facebook. I live in Sheffield where we are fortunate to be surrounded by fabulous venues & history. There are so many castles & wonderful Unique buildings to choose from. I mainly cover North Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, North Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire and Derbyshire. Within these areas I have a first rate knowledge of venues & suppliers and I have carefully selected a base of reputable, like-minded associates who are known for delivering excellence, quality of service and innovation in their field. I am able to secure the best prices from them & I do not work on a commission basis. As you would expect however, I am flexible in my approach and I have the skills to find new suppliers if your theme or budget dictates it.

My business was established in the Summer of 2009, although prior to this I had managed many corporate events & personally supported the most valued customers in a number of businesses.

I took redundancy in the summer of 2008 & spent a long time researching industries & roles that would utilise the skills & knowledge that I've acquired over the years. I'm also a person that loves to be with people, I enjoy helping them & thrive on pressure. In this climate there aren't many roles that fulfil this criteria, but Planning Weddings for time constrained couples is a perfect match !

Here at Unique,I offer a full range of services for stylish couples who wish to create and experience a truly bespoke, fun and memorable occasion for both themselves and their guests, whilst eliminating the stress, family tensions, constant emails, phone calls and over 200 hours worth of work, associated with planning the most important day of their lives. If you have demanding lifestyles & don't have the time, don't live where you are planning to get married, or just don't know where to start, I can help.

I believe that a Unique Venue will make the world of difference to how you remember your wedding day & whether you want to say your vows in a stately home, a boutique or country hotel, a castle, a museum or even at the local church, my aim is to ensure that your wedding day is a flawless execution of the dreams and aspirations that you have for it. I guarantee that your day will be Unique, created and managed for you. It will be your day, reflecting your personality, it definitely will not be replica of someone else's .......it will be yours, exactly the way you wanted it to be.
I work with some of the North's top suppliers & I have working knowledge of some of the very best venues.

Meeting new couples at one of the most exciting times of their lives. Finding them the venue of their dreams & creating an experience for them that will stay with them always.They will remember their wedding day forever & I will ensure that it is for the right reasons. My job is also very varied & allows me to work on many exciting things & at some wonderful venues. I'm currently putting together a " Win a Wedding " competition, where one lucky couple will win over £7,000 worth of wedding supplies, including their ceremony & drinks reception at the fabulous Ripley Castle. Join us on Facebook for further details.

I offer a free consultation & from that the couple will receive a bespoke proposal. It's theirs to keep & enables them to see if I've understand their brief. I'm happy to work anywhere.. give me a call today on 07896 661765.

Thank you SO MUCH for allowing us feature you on the blog!! and what are you waiting for! Give Joy a call today!

If we can help you with any bespoke jewellery please email jon@jonkeithdiamonds.co.uk or call 07904123297. If you would like to feature on our Wedding Supplier Wednesday please email lisa@jonkeithdiamonds.co.uk

Have a GREAT week!

JKD

Monday Promotions!

Happy Monday!

We hope you all had lots of fun in the snow last weekend, and you are gearing up for the Christmas Season!

We wanted to share some of our very exciting promotions with you, as a way of introducing our brilliant new gift vouchers!
starting with the fabulous offer the I Am Staggered team are offering one lucky reader! A Diamond Shopping Experience AND £100 towards a sparkly piece of jewellery! Get yourself over there and BEST OF LUCK!

COMPETITION
ALSO, you can still win £250 worth of JKD bling on the AWESOME Love My Dress Blog - have you entered yet? well why not!!!
COMPETITION
This month we are also VERY proud advertisers in the January 2011 issue number 90 of Wedding Ideas Magazine. JKD can be found on page 316.
Soooo - as you can see we have had a very busy month with lots more still to come! Check back later this week for some VERY VERY exciting JKD news!!

As always, if you would like to get in touch please email jon@jonkeithdiamonds.co.uk or call 07904123297.

Have a nice week!

JKD

Wedding Supplier Wednesday - DOUZO

HAPPY WEDNESDAY!

We hope you are enjoying the snow as much as we are? why no wrap up with a hot chocolate and have a read of our brillant Wedding Supplier Wednesday, this week featuring the lovely Melita of DOUZO.
Lets here all about what they do:

I'm Melita and I'm one half of the partnership that set up and runs DOUZO. Outside DOUZO, I am a mum of two and I like to read, run, and cook. I am insatiably curious about all things to do with people and their significant life events. This is my first jump into business and I'm loving it. There's lots to learn, that's for sure, but I wouldn't have it any other way now.

DOUZO is a website where you can set up and share a wish list for any occasion and any type of gift. Make it personal with photos and your choice of list design then share it with anyone you want, anywhere in the world.

We've only been operating since September 2010. We registered the business a year ago but it took us a while to pull the site together and decide to take the plunge.
DOUZO came out of the frustration of knowing what gifts we really wanted or needed, but being restricted on how we could share our wishes with friends and family. We had to pick affordable gifts from only one or two major stores, or we had to make an impersonal request for cash. Neither option gave us or our friends the right kind of freedom.

So we decided to make a place where the only limit on the type of gift would be our imagination. A place where friends and family could choose what they gave and where there could be something to fit every budget. A place where it would be easy to create a list and easy to buy from a list. It would be easy to see at any time what had been purchased and to know who gave what. That place became www.douzo.co.uk.! We found we could use a list for many different occasions. Weddings and birthdays were obvious choices. But what about baby showers? Christenings? Anniversaries? Christmas? Coming of age ceremonies? Fund-raising? Getting kitted out for a gap year or University? Collecting props for a local theatre event? Getting pledges of help for someone in need? Pretty much, if you can imagine it, you can list it.

A key difference about us is that you can mix any type of gift on a single DOUZO list. You can include items from absolutely any store, site, or stall. You can collect money towards something really special. You can even ask for favours or pledges of help that might cost nothing but still make a big difference to the recipient. Another bonus is being able to ask someone to manage the list on your behalf. You set up your list, then your list manager handles the rest. This is proving welcome with couples preparing for a wedding. It makes life easier for them and also keeps an element of surprise about what presents have been chosen.

The best bit of our working day is interaction with people. DOUZO is online so I don't get to see many people face-to-face, but I love the conversations that pop up on Twitter, Facebook, and in emails. I really enjoy reading about other people's celebrations and products and there are so many inspirational businesses out there. I like hearing how people are using a list and thinking about the special event that it's marking in their lives. It's great to discuss new ideas and learn more about what hits the spot and what doesn't work so well.

You might wonder about our name. Why "DOUZO"? Our name comes from a Japanese word. Its exact meaning varies in translation but it comes across as "please", "help yourself" or "by all means". We like it and hope it's easy to remember.
One other thing is that we're running a welcome offer until the end of the year. Using the code WELCOME gets you 10% off your first list. This will give you a list for as little as £9. With Christmas coming soon, it would be a great way to try us and get more of what you really want this year.

THANK YOU so much for allowing us to feature your wonderful new company - we wish you lots of luck with it!

ENJOY THE SNOW everyone and check back Friday for a VERY exciting update from JKD!

Have a nice week.

JKD

Diamond Friday!

Happy Friday - we hope you have had a lovely week and are looking forward to the weekend??

Today we are sharing with you a stunning Princess and Brilliant cut Bracelet. This really is beautiful - and was given to a very lucky lady as a 'Push' present! For those who dont know what that is (and i was one of them!) its an American tradition to have Diamonds waiting while a woman is giving birth as an 'incentive'! This is a tradition i think most woman would appreciate in England - dont you!?

Gorgeous 8.2ct Diamond Bracelet

Serious Bling!! Congratulations to the lucky lady in question - on both the birth or your baby and for this stunner!

If i can help you with any bespoke jewellery email me on jon@jonkeithdiamonds.co.uk or call 07904123297.

Have a nice weekend!

JKD

Wedding Supplier Wednesday - Modern Photographic

HAPPY WEDDING WEDNESDAY!

Today we are featuring the wonderful Essex based Julia West (some people still know her as Julia Ford, as she is still in the process of changing her name after her wedding in July!), who is the wonderfully talented Art Editor at WEDDING magazine and one half of modernphotographic.co.uk with her hubby Ian. Ian is also a celebrity portrait and event photographer.
Lets hear more from Julia:

I started in 2004, mainly second shooting but I set up the name and covered smaller weddings. My husband Ian joined the business last year in 2009

I had always had an avid interest in photography, since studying it at A Levels. With my design degree I still was able to do it to some extent. It wasn't until friends were getting married and they told me at the time the choice was mainly traditional. Only 6 years later there is lots more choice which is great and helps the industry strive to get better and more diverse

Firstly experience and knowing the industry. Ian has been a highly respected professional in the celebrity event circuit for over 25 years, I spend my days selecting real life weddings so I constantly see the latest ideas from weddings across the world. We put this together with a package that covers everything you could want. We also offer what we believe to be our unique client download gallery. All our couples receive a high res CD of full edited imagery. However we also upload a selection of these onto a gallery that your guests can download for themselves!

The best bit to my working day is the variety. I'm often asked how I juggle it all but I'm very fortunate enough to work on one of the best glossy bridal magazine's WEDDING. I deal with everything from photoshoots to selecting real life weddings, all to make sure the magazine looks stunning. I combine all this knowledge with my wedding photography clients, who I only take a select number on a year to ensure I can give them as much time as they deserve. I couldnt give up either!

Julia and Ian are such a lovely couple! To find out more about there own Wedding (and to be nosey!) it is featured in WEDDING this issue (December/January) and a grab of the pages is on there blog: http://modernphotographic.blogspot.comIm sure you can see from the images what an amazing couple they make! THANK YOU so much for allowing us to feature you on the blog!

Contact Julia either via the WEBSITE, BLOG, or on (e) julia@modernphotographic.co.uk (t)07747 114424

If we can help you with any bespoke jewellery email jon@jonkeithdiamonds.co.uk or call 07904123297 or if you would like to feature on our WSW feature email lisa@jonkeithdiamonds.co.uk

Have a lovely Wednesday!

JKD